About This Book
The term "erotic romance" describes a graphic level that is very distinct, but due to a tendency by readers and writers to interchange "erotic romance" with "erotica" and detractors usage of the words "porn" and "soft porn" it's become a confusing morass. The true definition of these terms is often debated, but basically here is how they break down: Porn: stories written for the express purpose of sexual gratification. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to incite the reader to orgasm and nothing else. Erotica: stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it's not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included. If they are included, they weren't the focus. The focus remained on the individual characters' journeys, not the progression of the romance. Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn't be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance. Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and could easily be removed or "toned down" without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex. I hope you can see from this how distinct these stories are and how the "label" applied to them isn't interchangeable. However, some publishers have begun to do that very thing—interchange the genre on their titles to increase sales. How does this affect the future of erotic romance? I'm not certain.
